Crisis and Camping and Coffee, oh my!
by javajunkie225
Summary: Crisis brings Lorelai's feelings for Luke out, Annual Under the Stars event forces LL into same tent. Rating Increased for Chapter 11. [COMPLETE]
1. The Glory of Wood

A/N: I own nothing, unfortunately.  
A/N2: My first story. Please R&R.  
A/N3: Rating is for later chapters. This is a total LL fic.

Chapter One

"Come On, it'll be fun!" Lorelai, all poutting lips and sparkling eyes, crooned from the opposite side of the counter.  
"How many times do I have to tell you, I am not going to that damn joke of a town event?" Luke stopped himself before he launched into one of his infamous rants, he didn't have time to indulge Lorelai at the moment. His sacred blue baseball cap was turned backwards, as usual and today's outfit ensemble consisted of plain blue jeans, the usual hiking boots, a simple grey shirt and a red flannel.  
"But there'll be camping! You like camping," Lorelai reasoned.  
The atmosphere of the diner was bustling. This only helped to fuel Lorelai's perky mood even more. She was clad in a light blue sweater sans sleeves, and a knee-length grey skirt. Her strappy heels clicked soundly against the tile as she stood up from her stool and brushed her dark curly hair from her face.  
"Just picture it," she continued, following Luke as he moved between the tables, refilling coffee, "the woodsy forest in all of its pine-y, birch-y, maple-y glory! And you and me and the whole Stars Hollow sitting around a huge bonfire, roasting marshmallows and drinking coffee. Well, not you of course, because you think coffee is the root of all evil and what not…" Lorelai didn't know why she had said 'you and me', but she figured that if she just talked really fast, he wouldn't question what she meant. She also didn't know why her heart swelled at the thought of her and Luke sitting near a fire… brushing the thought away, she continued her rambling.  
By this time, Luke had successfully served four customers their breakfasts and filled approximately twelve cups of coffee.  
"The answer is no," Luke said, briefly looking up from his notepad, "Now siddown and eat something. Coffee isn't good on an empty stomach."  
Lorelai giggled, "Apparently you haven't met me…"  
Luke simply rolled his eyes and filled the cup that Lorelai had thrust in his direction. He looked at Lorelai, and his heart thumped suddenly, as it usually did when she was around.  
It was then that the bells suspended over the door jingled merrily, signaling Rory's arrival. She was wearing her usual Chilton uniform, and had a large, obviously heavy, yellow backpack slung over her shoulders.  
"Hey kid," Lorelai kissed her daughter on the cheek as Rory sat down beside her, setting three books onto the counter… Faulkner, Proust, and her French textbook. At Luke's inquisitive look, she said, "They didn't fit in my bag."  
And after a pause, she continued with, "Coffee to go, diner man!"  
He responded with "Nervous habits in a cup… just a second." And with a fleeting glance at Lorelai, stepped into the storeroom to get more coffee.

TBC… R&R welcome….


	2. Chicken's Accident

A/N: Again, the pretty people don't belong to me, they belong to the wonderous Amy Sherman-Palladino

A/N2: Story took a bit of a twist. Not sure if this is going to remain a fluffy tale. Reviews and plot ideas are greatly appreciated, thanks!

Chapter Two

Lorelai had worked nonstop since arriving at the Independence Inn that morning. The tourist group she had booked for nearly two weeks later had arrived just a tad early, and Lorelai and Michel had been challenged with finding them new room and board. Finally, lunch had rolled around, and Lorelai was in desperate need of coffee. Shuffling into the kitchen, she called out to Sookie.  
"Hey Hun, how's it going in here?"  
Sookie St. James's head, sporting a bright blue band-aid near her eyebrow, popped up from behind a low counter. "Hiya! Things are going pretty good in here, there was a bit of an issue before with Henry, but things are worked out now."  
Picking up a piece of chocolate off of one of Sookie's recent culinary works, Lorelai questioned, "Who's Henry?"  
Not missing a beat, Sookie replied, "Jackson's chicken."  
"Jackson has a chicken? Since when does Jackson have a chicken?" Lorelai had stopped halfway to the coffee machine. "Please explain."  
Sookie stood and continued bustling about the kitchen as Lorelai sat on a stray standing stool. "Well, Jackson's niece, Brittany, had a science project where she had to raise a chicken, and she didn't need it anymore, so Jackson said he'd take the little… flocker… and now the thing's been running around like, well, a chicken with its head cut off, all weekend. I can't stand it." She was gesticulating wildly with a large very sharp looking knife as she continued, "Damn bird was hiding in the cabinet this morning, and when I went to get out my cookie sheets, Henry jumped out at me, and clawed my forehead!" She pointed to the bright blue band-aid.  
Just then, a crash emanated from somewhere in the back of kitchen. Sookie did an about-face and ran to the scene of the crime. Looking at her watch, Lorelai realized that she could afford to take an hour off for lunch, which left her more than enough time to swing by Luke's for some exceptional coffee. She'd rather head over there than risk being clawed by Jackson's chicken.

Within ten minutes, Lorelai had parked the Jeep out front, and was strolling into the diner. It was practically empty, pardoning Kirk, Gypsy and Andrew… and Taylor Doose. He was practically leaning over the counter as he told Luke about the Annual Campout Under the Stars Event that would be taking place that Saturday night. Taylor had flyers._  
Uh-oh. Taylor's got flyers. This is gonna be a good one… ha! _She thought, setting her purse on the counter as she listened intently.  
"Luke, I don't think you understand the ramifications of this event…" Taylor said, wagging his finger in Luke's face.  
"Ramifications, my ass, Taylor. You and I both know that this campout is just an excuse to throw a big party in the so-called name of some fictitious character that probably didn't even exist!" Luke glared as he paced back and forth behind the counter.  
Lorelai couldn't help but smile because she loved it when Luke ranted. His face turned slightly red, the vein in his neck throbbed and he always thrust his finger or fist in the direction of the subject of his rant.  
"But Luke, if you would just…" Taylor stammered. Pushing the flyers towards Luke.  
"No, Taylor. Get out, and take your damn flyers with you!" Luke gestured towards the door as he pushed the flyers back into Taylor's arms. With a huff, Taylor was heading out and just to piss Luke off, he dropped a few of the flyers at the tables on his way out the door.  
Luke readjusted his backwards cap, and rubbed is face with his hands. When he looked up again, he noticed Lorelai and his expression instantly softened.  
She was sitting at her usual seat, legs crossed and arms folded on the surface of the counter. The grin she wore on her face was slightly lopsided and her head was tilted as she peered at Luke through thick lashes. For the second time that day, his heart thudded loudly in his chest.  
"It's lunch and you are here, so I'm assuming you want coffee," he said, reaching for the blue mug she favored.  
"You know me so well…" she laughed, "Fabulous rant there, Rambo. Quite possibly one of your best." Again she laughed, and the knot in Luke's chest tightened considerably. He filled her cup, and slid it across the counter in her direction.

But before he could reply, a shrill ringing sounded from somewhere inside Lorelai's coach purse. Mid-sip, she pulled out her cell phone and checked the number. Recognizing it as Rory's, she flipped it open, completely ignoring Luke's protests and gestures towards the sign that declared "No Phones".  
"Speak to me, babe," she said taking a bite out of the danish Luke had placed in front of her.  
An unfamiliar voice responded. "Ms. Lorelai Gilmore? Are you the mother of a Ms. Rory Gilmore?"  
The coffee cup that had been in transit to Lorelai's mouth hit the counter with a clatter.  
"Yes, I am." Fear instantly speared through her like lightning through an unsuspecting sky. "Who am I speaking with, and what happened to my daughter?"  
Luke had seen the cup fall, the look on her face, and had rounded that counter in record time.

"Ma'am, your daughter was in an accident."

TBC... R&R folks!


	3. Wet Spot

A/N: I own nothing. Seriously, check my goshdamn wallet!

A/N2: This one's for lgfan452! I know you desperately wanted to find out what happened to Rory, so I wrote this real quick. Keep the Reviews coming, folks!

A/N3: For those of you waiting for the smut, it may be a while; this thing keeps twisting out of my hands. It's got a life of its own, people.

Chapter Three

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Lorelai snapped her phone shut and snatched her purse off the counter. Getting to Rory was top priority at this point, and basic maternal instinct had begun to kick in.  
_Gotta call Mom, let her know that Rory's in the hospital. Gotta get to the hospital. Gotta get gas. Gotta get to my kid…_ She occupied herself by making a mental to-do list in an attempt to forget about what happened to Rory. Panicking was not an option at this point.  
She had begun to stand when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Lorelai could barely look at Luke. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn't know if she'd be able to hold everything in.  
"I'm coming with you," he said simply. Pulling the keys out of his pocket, he tossed them to a passing Caesar, "I don't know when I'll be back. Close at nine tonight."  
Without a second thought, he grabbed Lorelai's hand reassuringly and led her to the back door of the diner. Luke opened the passenger's side, helped Lorelai in, and then rounded the front of the car to the driver's side.  
Just as he was about to start the car, he looked over at Lorelai.  
She was looking straight ahead, her chest rising and falling rapidly, face pale and eyes frantic. He watched as one tear streaked down the side of her face.  
He started the car and pulled out into traffic, heading in the direction of Hartford.

The paramedics had arrived at the scene and had seen the girl on the ground, her hair fanning out around her head in an almost angelic way. The other girl was hanging out of the flaming car, still strapped in. Police had already flooded the scene and a healthy crowd was beginning to form. The two men in the opposing car had been pronounced dead.  
Detectives had deduced that the collision was head on, resulting from drunk driving on the behalf of the men in the opposing car. The two girls had been on their way home from a rare half day at school.  
The girl with blond hair that had been found on the ground had been loaded into the paramedic van which had soon rushed off, sirens blaring, to the hospital. The other girl, a taller, softer featured girl had also been loaded into a second van, which followed the first to the hospital.  
One paramedic had been able to locate the darker haired girl's purse in the backseat of the totaled car. Inside, it held a driver's license and a cell phone. The paramedic had smartly scrolled through the digital phonebook to find the number for a parent.

Halfway to Hartford, Luke reached out a hand, and placed it on Lorelai's knee.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" he asked.  
Lorelai, having trouble finding her voice, simply nodded, and turned to Luke.  
"Rory was in a car accident. Paris had offered to give Rory a ride home from Chilton – they had a halfday – and there was a car," she had to stop to keep the tears from spilling down her face, "and the driver was totally wasted. He hit Rory and Paris head on, and…" her voice broke into a sob.  
"Shhh… it's okay. Everything is going to be fine," Luke said, pulling her against his side. He normally wasn't good with crying women, but comforting Lorelai provided him the distraction he needed to avoid thinking about Rory. Lorelai needed him to be her pillar, and if he broke down, who knew if they'd make it through the day?  
For the next ten minutes, Lorelai had sobbed into Luke's shoulder and he had rubbed her back lovingly. Upon arriving at the Hartford Hospital, Lorelai checked her makeup – she couldn't look like she was having a breakdown – at which time Luke had ran around to her side of the car. Opening the door, he took her hand and together they walked into the strange smelling, brightly lit building, expecting the worst.

TBC… R&R!


	4. Too Early for Tragedy

Chapter Four

Rory slowly surfaced to consciousness. Upon opening her eyes, she saw that she was in an immaculate white room, complete with a drawn green curtain, and crisp, comfy sheets covering the bed upon which she was laying. Somewhere in the distance, a monitor was beeping.  
It took a minute, but soon Rory remembered what had happened.

The accident. She had been driving Paris's car because Paris had claimed she had a headache. In the distance, the red Mustang in the opposing lane had been swerving. Rory had tried to pull to the side, but the Mustang was aiming straight for them. Paris's little Escort had stood no chance against the bigger car, especially when the bigger car had been going 95 mph. Now she was in the hospital.  
Rory, of course being Rory, began wondering about the passengers in the other car, but more urgently about Paris. In the few blurry flashes Rory had to reflect upon, she observed Paris being thrown from the car.   
Suddenly, a frantic cry sounded from the hallway. Listening closely, Rory vaguely recognized the strained voice.  
"Look lady, I really need to see my daughter… and I swear that if you do not point me in her direction, you will also be needing a trip to the E.R…" The woman's voice cracked on the last two words, though the entire exclamation was peppered with saddened desperation.  
_Mommy…_ it was the very last coherent thought Rory had before slipping back into the warm blanket that was unconsciousness.

Luke watched Lorelai as she walked up to the help desk in the hospital. Her outer appearance was that of a calm woman, but her eyes betrayed her. Those deep, beautiful eyes… in them, Luke had seen something foreign. Something he'd never seen there before… fear… desperation.  
She was scared. Hell, so was he.

He looked at his watch. It was one thirty.  
_It's too early for this kind of crisis. These things only happen at night… and to other people._ He thought fleetingly.  
When the nurse had refused to let Lorelai into the E.R., her outer cool cracked. Seeing Lorelai's eyes flood with the unshed tears of a loving mother as she fought with the nurse made Luke's heart ache. He wanted to ease her pain, to find Rory, to cure her, and to finally tell Lorelai of his heart's desire.  
He reached out to her, cupping her side with his hand. Lorelai looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears. The nurse used the temporary distraction to her advantage and quickly scurried away.  
Luke and Lorelai stood alone in the long corridor. Luke holding Lorelai. Lorelai being held up by Luke.  
Twin tears began to run down her face, and Luke couldn't help but pull her to him while taking a shuddering breath. He could barely keep from breaking down himself, but he had to be strong for Lorelai. He hugged her tighter when she began to sob. Spotting two chairs down the hallway, and began leading her towards them. Suddenly, she stopped. They had come to a door that was slightly ajar.  
"Rory," Lorelai said simply, her voice shaking. Without hesitation, she pushed open the door and went directly to the bedside of the dark-haired, soft-featured girl sleeping in the center of the room.  
And it really was her. There she was. Rory lay on the hospital bed; sheets were tucked neatly around her small body, her face and arms slightly scratched up, and the cast on her left leg was clearly visible through the sheets.

Immediately, Lorelai began sobbing. Respectfully, Luke stepped into the hallway to wait for Lorelai to finish.  
And so once again, he was left standing with all his thoughts rumbling around his head. Just like the many times he had politely bowed out of Lorelai's business.  
He retrieved the two chairs from down the hallway, and placed them on the wall just outside the door. He sat down, took one fleeting look at the now closed hospital door, and finally bowed his head, and prayed.


	5. Almost Six

A/N: Again, I do not own these characters… if I did, they'd be doing much dirtier things…. Hee hee hee..  
A/N2: Thanks again to all you guys who reviewed. I'm glad you all really enjoy the story. Any plot ideas/story changes are greatly appreciated. I believe I've written myself into a corner. If anyone can figure out how to turn it around, lemme know!  
Thanks again.

Chapter Five

"Seriously, Mom," Rory insisted, "I'll be fine."  
Lorelai looked down at her daughter, brushed a hair out of her face.  
_She does look better_, the exhausted side of her reasoned.  
"Mom, you and Luke stayed last night, and I'm being released later this afternoon," Rory stated. "You both have to be at work, and when you're done, you can come and pick me up! But for now, both of you need to go home and shower. You smell."  
She grinned up at her mom, half-giggling, and the sorrow and fear on Lorelai's face slightly diminished as a small smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth.  
The previous night, Rory had awoken to the sounds of her mother crying. Lorelai had been sitting on the couch in the corner of the hospital room, and through Rory's sleep-blurred vision, she'd seen Luke beside Lorelai, holding her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I was so scared," Lorelai sobbed.  
"I know," Luke sniffed, manly of course, "Me too."  
And now standing before her was Lorelai, slightly ragged and exhausted looking. Luke stood behind Lorelai, one hand on her back, the other in his the pocket of his worn jeans.  
He'd always been the closest thing to a father figure she'd ever had. He'd always been there for her and especially for her mom. Somewhere inside her, she wished that Luke and Lorelai would get together… she'd always pictured them together in her mind. Even as a kid, she'd always imagined Luke giving her away at her wedding. She didn't know why she'd always thought that, but it had always made sense.  
Rory bid both of the adults goodbye, and settled in with a copy of Proust that Luke had obligingly retrieved for her the previous day.

Getting in the car, Lorelai looked at the clock.   
5:30am. The whole day was ahead of her. But she was so tired… she'd barely slept last night, and if the bags under Luke's eyes meant anything, neither had he.  
Pulling out of the hospital, she looked over at Luke.  
"Hey," she said, getting his attention, "I… uh, never thanked you… for all you did… all you've ever done."  
Luke shifted in his seat, and placed a hand on Lorelai's knee.  
"Don't mention it," he said, his voice gravelly with hidden emotion.  
The hand on her knee radiated heat, and Lorelai relished in the comfort she felt from the gesture. She slid over the seat and snuggled up against Luke's side. His arm curled around her, and they drove on in comfortable silence.

As they neared Stars Hollow, Luke looked down at Lorelai, still curled in his arms.  
"You want me to take you home, or do you wanna pick up the Jeep from the diner?" Secretly, he was praying that she would pick the latter, and come into the diner.  
Lorelai grinned. "Hey, you've got coffee, right?" she asked, a smile in her voice as well as on her face.  
"For you, there's always coffee," he sighed. His grip on her tightened and they pulled into the back of the diner.  
At his words, Lorelai's skin had erupted in goosebumps, and her heart did that weird skipping thing she'd been trying to forget about the past few days. Letting go of Luke triggered a feeling of absence- absence of heat as well comfort. She felt the uncontrollable urge to run to him and never let go. But she held back. She walked calmly to the diner, Luke trailing behind, spare keys jingling in his hand. Through the back door, they walked, Luke stopping to turn on the brewer, Lorelai continuing to her nearly religious spot on the customer side of the counter.  
"I'll be right back, I've just gotta get some more crème and sugar," Luke said, before disappearing behind the door to the store room. He knew Lorelai would help herself, so he took his time finding the sugar and filling up the canister he'd brought with him.  
When he finished, a mere two or three minutes later, he was just about to open the door, but he stopped at the sight before him. Through the small storeroom door window, Luke could see Lorelai sitting at the counter, coffee in hand, head slightly bowed. He recognized the look on her face as one that showed she was deeply engrossed in her own thoughts. There was a slight crease between her eyebrows, and her fingers were tracing idle circles on the surface of the counter. Her wrinkled blouse hung a bit loosely in the front, and the blue fabric swayed slightly over her chest s she breathed slow calm breaths. The dark curly hair he desired to run his fingers through fell gracefully to her shoulders. The still darkened diner cast shadows about her face, shadows that only increased the worry he'd seen there.  
Luke finally stepped thought the door and approached the counter carefully.  
Lorelai wasn't aware of his presence until he was standing before her. She raised her head and looked him in the eye.

"You okay?" he asked warily, his brow furrowing with concern.  
"I will be… eventually," A small smirk played quickly at the corner of her mouth as she gazed up at him.  
But Luke could see the sadness in her blue eyes. He could see the self doubt etched across her face as though it were written in red pen. Luke rounded the counter, and once again, took Lorelai into his arms. She'd thrown her arms around his neck and he'd wrapped his around her small waist. Luke turned his head so that his face was tucked into the crook between Lorelai's neck and shoulder, unconsciously, she reciprocated the action.  
Lorelai didn't know how long they stayed that way, holding each other, breathing in each other's scent. Sometime during the embrace, Lorelai had started crying again, and she realized that she'd been drying her tears on Luke's shirt. She reluctantly pulled away, her hands coming to rest on Luke's shoulders, his cupping her sides.  
"I'm sorry," she sniffed, "I keep crying. I know you hate crying." She looked down at Luke's chest, rising and falling with each deep breath he took. She felt one of his hands leave her side, coming to rest on her neck, thumb brushing away the tears on her cheek. The result was her heart practically leaping into her throat.  
She closed her eyes and relished the feel of his rough hands, so gentle on her skin. Luke's gravelly voice rang in her ears.  
"Everything's going to be fine." He lowered his hand to her side.  
Lorelai sighed. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Luke." She pulled him into yet another embrace, burying her head in the hollow of his neck.  
Maybe it was something about the way she smelled, or the softness of her bare arms around his neck, or maybe it was the swelling in his chest that made him say it.

"You'll never have to find out."  
Lorelai thought that maybe she'd imagined what she'd heard, but if the suddenly stiff arms around her waist were any clue, Luke had actually said it.  
Arms still linked behind his head, she leaned backward and caught his eyes with hers. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but she found that she was at a loss for words. All she could do was looking into those deep eyes of his.  
Suddenly, all logic flew out the window, and she felt herself leaning in, her eyes closed and her arms tightened around Luke's neck.  
Luke, on the other hand, had been panicking. He'd seen her eyes close, and he felt how she'd pulled him closer to her, and then, just before their lips had touched, the bell to the diner jingled.  
Lorelai practically leapt from his arms. Looking to the door, she saw that it was only Kirk, and the large box he'd been carrying had hopefully obscured his vision.  
"Morning, Luke!" Kirk's muffled voice sounded from behind the box.  
"Morning, Kirk," Luke responded obligingly, looking over to Lorelai, who'd already fished her keys from her purse and was looping the coach bag over her arm. She gave him one last fleeting look before rushing out the back door.  
Luke had the irresistible urge to hurt Kirk, but reasoned that he had no idea what he'd walked in on.  
Kirk sat down and began rambling on about his mother, his cat, and other things Luke had little interest in. So Luke began over turning chairs, and wiping down tables, preparing for the six o'clock crowd that would be do any minute.

TBC… or not? R&R, peeps!


	6. Elusive Mr Coffee

A/N: Why must we keep up with these stupid disclaimers? I really don't see the point. Okay, so no, I don't own the characters. This is FANFICTION… oy vay.  
A/N2: Keep up with the reviewing, folks! It keeps me alive!

Chapter Six

Lorelai let herself into the house and fell back against the door. Turning her head, she saw that her face was flushed, her cheeks still contained faint traces of the mascara that had streaked down them not long before, and her hair looked less than perfect. So much had happened in the last day. The only remedy that came to mind happened to be a hot shower.  
Not bothering to lock the door, Lorelai tossed her purse on the couch as she clomped up the stairs to the bathroom. She passed through her room to grab a towel, and stripped herself of her clothing along the way.

Stepping under the scolding spray brought an ease to her muscles and exhaustion hit full on. She went through the motions of showering, her mind drifting to the events in Luke's. They had nearly kissed; lips had been less than an inch apart. Had Kirk waited a fraction of a second longer, he would have walked in on _actual_ kissing.  
Thoughts of what would happen next time she saw Luke rumbled through her conscience as she stepped out of the shower and dried off. She walked into her room and looked at her Hello Kitty clock. She deduced that she had a few more hours to sleep before she was really needed for work. Typically she wasn't really required to go into work before noon on Saturdays. Cuddling up in no more than her towel, she lay down on her bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Luke rushed through the diner, dropping plates off here and there. Saturday lunch was one of the worst meals of the week. But part of him was grateful that the diner was so busy. It distracted him from thinking about Lorelai and what had happened earlier that morning. He adjusted his backwardly turned cap and headed towards a far table with a pot of freshly brewed coffee. As Luke refilled Andrew's cup with the steaming beverage, a fleeting thought crossed his mind.  
_Lorelai usually comes in for coffee at around one before heading off to work on Saturdays._  
He looked at the clock. It was twelve thirty.

Meanwhile, Lorelai was pacing her kitchen.  
"Come on! Who did I kill in a past life for _this_ to happen to me! Today of _all_ days, might I add," She shouted at the ceiling. She looked down at the coffee pot again, hoping and praying that it would suddenly sputter to life and give her at least ONE cup of coffee. Unfortunately, the coffee pot just sat there, in all of its broken glory, staring back at an exasperated, caffeine-deprived Lorelai Gilmore.  
Smacking one hand on the counter, she lowered her head to "eye-level" with the coffee pot.  
"I swear to God, if you work, I will love you forever! Not that I don't love you now, it's just that I will love you more than I did before. I vow to never use paper towels as filters again! Only the good stuff for you, Mr. Coffee. We'll get some Maxwell House for ya. Move over, Folgers!" And still, the coffee pot sat there.  
She didn't think she could last all the way until the Independence Inn for some coffee. But Lorelai wasn't sure if she should risk heading in to Luke's for her weekly Saturday afternoon buzz.  
After another fifteen minutes, she decided that breaking routine was out of the question and that her need for caffeine was stronger than the strangely exciting feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of seeing Luke again.  
Without further ado, she rushed up the stairs to finish dressing for the day. Just as it did as yesterday, her hair fell curly to her shoulders, and her makeup looked as modest as usual. The tight low-rise jeans she pulled on did nothing to offset the equally tight fitting white camisole she wore under a crème colored shirt that she left unbuttoned.  
She grabbed her purse and her keys before heading out the unlocked door. Deciding that taking the Jeep was unnecessary, she began walking. Singing Shadow Dancer under her breath provided ample distraction from her thoughts as she headed in the direction of the diner, in the direction of Luke.

TBC…  
Sorry it was a short one, guys.  
I'm sick and I nearly passed out writing just this much. Although, it can't help that I'm laying in bed underneath covers with incensce burning a few feet away.   
I'll try and update soon.  
After my nap…..  
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


	7. Hide and Go Cameo

A/N: Feeling much better today guys. This one is slightly transition, but the next chapter will hopefully fufill all of your smutty cravings... hopefully... don't hold me to it. I'll try.  
A/N2: Encourage people to read this story, i know it's long, but it's getting good! lol.

Chapter Seven

Lorelai walked back and forth in front of Luke's.  
_Going in would require confrontation, _she thought. _Although NOT going in could result in complete insanity and possible anxiety attack. Decisions, decisions…  
_Finally, she stopped pacing. Turning around, she headed straight for the diner doors, her heart thumping in her chest and her palms suddenly damp.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was speckled with random tiny clouds and the sun reflected off of every surface, especially the surface of the large banner hanging near the gazebo that read "Annual Campout Under The Stars – TONIGHT! Designate your tent placement and arrangement with Taylor Doose ASAP!"

Luke had seen her walking past. Three, four, five times, she looked up into the windows as she sped back and forth. The determined look on her face as she finally walked up to the door made his heart jump with what could have been either fear or something akin to excitement.  
His stomach dropped however, when he saw Taylor stop Lorelai by the shoulder, sticking a clipboard under her nose. Distractedly, she took the pen he was waving at her and wrote something on the yellow sheet. Through the dusty glass, Luke could see that Taylor's lips were moving a mile a minute and Lorelai was nodding and half smiling just to get him off her back. After taking the clipboard back from her and returning the pen to its perspective pocket protector, he gave Lorelai a wide smile and walked away.  
Finally she opened the door and walked in, avoiding Luke's gaze as she sat down.

Deciding to play it cool, he said, "What was that all about?" He gestured towards the door with his head while he wiped off Lorelai's habitual coffee cup with a towel.

She finally looked up at him, amusement and thankfulness sprinkled in her eyes.  
"Some stupid sign-up sheet for the Campout tonight," she said. "You and I are in the same tent." She winked.  
Luke's blood ran cold. His heart threatened to stop beating.  
"Wh-what?" he finally stammered. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that there were customers that needed to be attended to, but at the moment, it was the least of his worries.  
"I was kidding," Lorelai said, looking down. "I mean, I know you're not even going."  
Luke let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Why are you going? You don't even like camping," he said after he was able to compose himself.

Lorelai looked up, delighted at seeing the playfully challenging smirk on his face.

"For your information, I do, indeed, enjoy the many aspects of certain camping endeavors." She smiled up at him indignantly.  
"Such as…" Luke challenged, placing the cup before her and filling it three quarters of the way.

"Such as…." Lorelai could think of nothing and just laughed. Luke soon joined her and before long, the tension was no longer palpable and the air felt fresh and clean.  
Caesar called up an order from the kitchen as Luke set down a danish in front of Lorelai. He picked up his notepad, tucked it into the front of his pants, and headed off to deliver the order.  
Even though the tension was rid from the air, Lorelai still had a large knot in her chest, which tightened considerably when Luke stuck the notepad down the front of his pants. She'd always been turned on by that.

_Oohkay! Breathing would be good…inhale, exhale, oh God here he comes…don't flinch, DON'T FLINCH!_ She mentally yelled.  
Something told her that it wasn't an accident when the side of Luke's arm brushed her back as he passed, carrying a pot of decaf – Lorelai shuddered at the thought of drinking it – towards another table. When he looked back over his shoulder, the dancing lights in her eyes told him to do it again. So he did. In passing, his hand traveled across her shoulder blades, his fingers leaving a trail of heat in their wake.  
Lorelai sucked in a deep breath, and simply sipped her coffee, smiling.

Lorelai had considered staying home to be with Rory, but she'd insisted that Lorelai go to the festival and enjoy herself. Lane had come over and had promised to attend to Rory's every whim. Granted, the friends hadn't seen each other in over a week anyway – Mama Kim had found one of Lane's hidden Sex Pistols CDs and had grounded her; luckily, Lane was able to convince her that some boy at school had given it to her, and she was going to give it to the principal the very next day. Mama Kim totally bought it, but still made Lane go to church twice a day everyday for one week and restricted her from seeing anyone outside of school. And so Lorelai, understanding the need for slumber parties with girlfriends, left the house to Rory and Lane. She'd seen Rory pull out a bag of colorful Sharpies and had suspected that they were going to decorate Rory's bulky cast with all kinds of images, lyrics and sayings in a plethora of colors.

The walk to the campsite wasn't too bad. It was near the infamous lake where Jess had been pushed in by Luke on one of Jess's particularly mouthy days.

After she'd finished with work, Lorelai had decided that camping was nothing if you didn't have the right shoes. Of course. So she'd gone out and quickly found a pair of boots that look shockingly like Luke's in size nine. And just to mock Luke, she'd worn them into the diner, also sporting a large backpack and a sleeping bag, before heading out to the campsite. What she didn't know was that behind the counter, Luke had stored a sleeping bag and duffle as well, and was planning on surprising Lorelai by actually showing up at that joke of a festival.

Following the flow of Stars Hollow citizens, she was soon led to the site. The lake glimmered in the light of the afternoon sun and the scene was breathtaking. Tents were set up around the perimeter of the lake and among the trees just inside the edge of the woods.  
There was a large cleared area to the right of the lake where stacks of wood stood waiting and ready to be lit for the bonfire to occur later that evening. A few tables were being set up by Taylor and his crew. One table had food – burgers, hot dogs and chicken grilled by Jackson and deserts made by Sookie and the Marie, the cake lady. Another table held four large coolers that contained soda, water, juice and milk. Yet another table contained snacks; there were bags of chips, cookies, chocolate bars, granola bars, pretzels, graham crackers, and of course, marshmallows to be roasted over the fire later.  
Lorelai spotted Sookie standing near one of the tables with a few sheets of paper clutched in one hand, and little Davey clutched in the other. She hitched her bag up a little higher on her shoulder, and strode over to them.  
"Hey Sook, where's Jackson?" she asked, giving Sookie a hug and Davey a kiss on the forehead. Davey had a little camouflage outfit on, and Sookie had a matching camouflage apron on over her jeans and blue shirt, her hair in pigtails.

"Oh, somewhere out there." She gestured towards the woods vaguely. "Kirk fell asleep and had one his little terrors and he ran off into the woods. Jackson went to catch him before he started stripping." She handed Lorelai one of the sheets of paper in her hand. On it, was a grid map of the campsite, and an itinerary of the evening's events.  
"What's this, Cameo Joe?" Lorelai questioned, trying to read the strange markings and numbers on the map.

"Oh, that's your tent assignment. You're in tent number 10, right next to us! We're in 11." She winked at the next comment, "I hear that Luke might be coming."  
"Wh-what?" Lorelai froze. _Luke…coming… festival… Luke? _She put her thoughts on hold to listen to Sookie. "Luke is coming?"  
"That's what I heard from Babette and Miss Patty. Apparently Andrew saw him bring a duffel bag down from his apartment." Sookie said.

A voice sounded from somewhere close behind Lorelai. "It's true, suga."

Lorelai turned and saw Babette, dwarfed by her tall something-or-other, Morey.  
"I saw it! There it was, just sittin' behind the counter. I mentioned it, and he just pretended not to hear me. I'm tellin' ya, I saw the duffle bag!" She looped an arm around Morey's waist, and spotting Miss Patty in the distance, bid Lorelai and Sookie goodbye.

Lorelai decided she needed to lie down. She gave Davey one last kiss, squeezed Sookie's hand, and set off in search of her tent.

$&(&$&(&&(

I tried to make this one a little longer. I'm working on the next one, and it should be done and posted within the next two or three days. Sorry if it's taking too long, i'm in color guard (flags) and the football season is keeping us busy. i'll try to update as much as possible.  
R&R, thanks again, kiddies.


	8. The Effects of Alcohol and Night Terrors

**A/N: **I AM SO SORRY! Everyone really loved the chapter that was formerly known as eight, but I had an epiphany, and I had to take this in a new direction. So, to everyone's disappointment, I deleted that chapter. Forget it ever happened! I know that will be difficult, but just try to imagine all this WITH the sexual tension.

I'll try and work the chapter formerly known as eight in later in the story, or maybe I'll write an alternate. There was nowhere I could've gone with that, so I had to change it… for the greater good. I promise this will be better.

**A/N2:** No slam-bam-thank you ma'am in this one, but it will be soon, probably in the next chapter. Again, don't hold me to it… I'll do the best I can.

Chapter Eight

Lorelai found her tent, slightly secluded, tucked behind a large oak tree. The "#10" taped on the side was barely visible, but Lorelai hoped that no one else would be seeking it out.  
Stepping inside the dark green tent, Lorelai set down her bags and took a look around. It was larger than it looked from the outside. Two people could have slept comfortably, with at least two feet of space between each other, in any direction. The "ceiling" of the tent was fashioned after a steeple, in that it pointed from four directions. Where the back "wall" attached to the "ceiling", there was a mesh opening through which the sky was visible. Lorelai placed her pillow directly beneath the "window" and laid her sleeping bag out in similar fashion. A small stool stood in the corner, and she placed a small battery-powered alarm clock and her cell phone next to the candle lantern already there. She then dropped her bag in the corner and lay down on her fluffy blue sleeping bag. Looking out her little window, Lorelai began to get drowsy and soon fell asleep.

"Yeah, so just close up at about nine thirty or so, and make sure the back door is locked because last time Kirk got in and locked himself in the storeroom with his pillow," he cringed, "naked." Caesar nodded and took the keys from his boss. Luke picked up his duffel, slung it over his shoulder and tucked his tent under his arm before heading out.

Luke wandered around the campsite, looking for a clearing to set up his tent. So far all the good spots he'd come across had been littered with tents adorned with numbers, which he assumed were assignments. Of course, he hadn't signed up for a tent assignment – he'd be damned if it actually looked as though he was participating in this joke – so he'd brought his own tent.  
Luke didn't know why he'd decided to come to this thing. Well, he knew it had something to do with the tight knot in his throat and the thundering in his chest, but he was trying very hard to focus on something other than his feelings for Lorelai. Lately, it had become almost too hard to be around her. Her scent, her laugh, her bright and shining eyes, it all surrounded him until he didn't know which was up. He spotted a somewhat clear, yet secluded area behind a large oak tree. He set down his bag a few feet away from a thick tree and looked around. The only other tent nearby was about 40 paces away and had a large "#10" taped on the side.

_Unless Lorelai's in that tent, there shouldn't be any problems,_ he thought as he set up his own tent.

Soon after the sun had hesitantly set beneath the horizon, the firelight could be seen gleaming through the trees and Lorelai sighed. It was so romantic. The stars, the forest, the fire, the food…

_Oh the babies to be conceived this evening…_ she thought with a chuckle. The setting truly was perfect. The very air was practically filled with love and affection. Even being alone on this wonderful night, Lorelai felt as though she were filled with helium.

The dull _thump thump_ of her boots mingled with the crunching sound of the dry dead leaves beneath her feet. Approaching the edge of the clearing, Lorelai tugged on the hem of her tight black shirt. She hadn't realized how cold it would be after the sun went down and now was wishing she'd brought a sweater in her duffel. Her faded jeans were tucked into the tops of her brand new worker's boots and her black short sleeve top hugged her snuggly around her chest and waist. It was just the slightest bit too short, resulting in the exposure of a sliver of flawless skin across her midriff. Her curly hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and small silver studs sparkled from her ears. They, however, did not hold a candle to the sparkle in her eyes when she noticed Luke lingering on the opposite side of the clearing. She sauntered in his direction, suddenly forgetting the cold.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her laughter in her voice as well as in her eyes. "I thought you hated camping." She raised her eyebrows suspiciously as she approached him.

When Luke had seen her from across the clearing, his heart had jumped into his throat and his blood pressure had risen significantly. He couldn't move his feet, but seeing as how she was headed in his direction anyway, staying put gave him a glow of nonchalance. She sidled up next to him.  
"I just couldn't resist the chance of seeing you out of your element." He managed to sound cool and collected although the blood was rushing to his head.  
"Luke Danes, are you mocking me?" Lorelai gasped, slapping a hand to her chest and glaring at him dramatically.

He simply smiled and shook his head. When he saw her wrap her arms around herself, rubbing vigorously, in an obvious attempt to warm herself, he started to shrug out of his jacket.

"What are you doing?" she questioned when he held it out to her. The flannel looked so warm and inviting, and it probably smelled like him too, which was always a perk.

"You're cold. Put it on."

"No, on the contrary, I'm fine." She dropped her arms immediately and stood her ground. But when goosebumps appeared on her skin and the little hairs on her arms stood straight up, she sighed in defeat.

Luke rounded her so that her back was to him and slipped the flannel over her shoulders. Her shoulders slumped under the weight of the warm jacket, and when she slipped her arms into the sleeves, her fingers were nowhere to be seen. He let his hands linger on her shoulders a few seconds longer than necessary before he stepped away.

"Well, what about you?" she asked, genuinely touched by his concern. "Aren't you going to get cold?"

When Luke pushed up one sleeve to reveal a second long sleeve shirt beneath the blue one he was wearing, she simply nodded her head.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He gestured towards the table that held food and beverages and they began to walk. When Lorelai stumbled on a tree root, Luke's hands instinctively reached out and caught her around the waist.  
_Oh god. _Lorelai thought as Luke peered into her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked, hands still on her waist.

_More than you know, buddy. _But she nodded her head and continued walking, relishing in the feeling of Luke's hand on her back as they walked side by side.

Kirk scurried between trees, his pillow clutched to his stomach. He'd fallen asleep again, and was convinced that the Nazis were after him this time. Passing a piece of his own clothing – his pants were hanging from a nearby tree – he realized that he'd been going in circles.

"I swear Granny Ann was only _half_ Jewish! I swear it!" He screamed and started to run. With the Nazis on his ass, he bolted between trees and hopped over logs, heading in the path of least resistance. It wasn't until he dove into a random tent and hid in the corner that he began to relax. Then within seconds, his body slumped over and he was sound asleep.

"So I says to her, 'No, Rory, lighting it on fire is half the fun!'" Lorelai doubled over in a fit of giggles that were frequently interrupted by loud hiccups. Sookie laughed and Luke even smiled at Lorelai. It was always entertaining to see her drunk.

After sitting around the ten foot wide bonfire for twenty minutes, listening to Taylor's retelling of _The Stars Hollow Lovers_, Lorelai, clutching Luke's arm, had suggested that some of the older folks go make a fire of their own a little father off. Sookie, Davey and Jackson had taken up on the offer and were soon followed by Miss Patty, Babette and Morey, Gypsy, Andrew, and a few of the other respectable citizens of Stars Hollow.

The group of about fifteen found a spot far enough away, and the true festivities had begun. The men of the group had gone to retrieve benches, large rocks, and logs so that people wouldn't have to sit on the ground and Gypsy had managed to construct a small bonfire in the center of the group. A flask filled with some kind of revolting alcohol had been pulled out of one of Miss Patty's many pockets and Lorelai had been one of the first to take a large gulp. The flask had been renamed "The Fun Flask" and had mostly been in Lorelai's corner throughout the evening. It wasn't long until everyone was laughing and telling stories in a slightly buzzed state. The events of Rory's accident were rehashed, but in the firelight, everything seemed a little less traumatizing.  
Luke sat, watching everything, responding occasionally and laughing more than he probably had his entire life. He was happy, he realized. This was exactly where he wanted to be; surrounded by friends, sitting beside Lorelai and listening to her crazy stream of conscious rambling.

"Well at least you didn't fling the flamin' thing onto her lap, suga!" Babette squealed. She nudged Morey and he nodded solemnly. "I have the scars," he said. This resulted in howls of laughter and hoots of shock throughout the group.

"Okay, okay, I've got a good joke!" Lorelai rambled, flinging her hands into the air as she stood. The group hushed, though a few people were still slightly shaking with laughter.

"Okay, okay. Why did Hitler…" she paused for horribly placed dramatic effect, "call his soldiers Nazis?" Barely containing her own laughter, she waited, looking around at the faces of the group.

"Because they were NOT-ZEE JEWS!" She laughed hysterically and was soon joined by the others in the group. "Get it? Nazi? Like, not th_ee_ jews? Ha!" She doubled over once again, and nearly lost her balance, but thankfully, Luke had reached out and steadied her on her way down. She was still laughing when she slumped down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"This is fun," she said, sighing and wrapping one arm behind him.

"Yeah, I'm glad I came," Luke turned his head and peered at Lorelai. The feeling of her head resting on his shoulder was comforting, and he was surprised that it felt so natural and that he wasn't panicking. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Me too," she replied, lifting her chin to rest on his shoulder. She caught his eyes with hers and she hugged him a little tighter. Maybe it was the firelight, or the lingering feeling of inhibition caused by her consumption of alcohol, but either way, she felt good. It felt natural to be held in Luke's arms and she was surprised that she wasn't panicking.

A few minutes later, Luke looked down to see that Lorelai's eyelids were fluttering closed and that her grip around him was becoming looser and looser.

"I think we oughta call it a night," he said to Sookie, gesturing towards the near sleeping Lorelai, "I'll take her to her tent. What number is she in?"

"She's in #10, behind this really big oak tree," Sookie said in a hushed tone—she was carrying little Davey in her arms and he had just fallen into a deep sleep. Somewhere in the back of Luke's head, the number 10 meant something, but he ignored it as he lifted Lorelai from the log she was perched on, and adjusted her so that she was leaning against him as they stood.

"Armff…" she mumbled incoherently. "Where… goin'?" She could feel her feet moving beneath her, but she really had no idea what was going on. The warm feeling of alcohol was leaving her system and exhaustion had set in… deep.

"I'm taking you back to your tent," Luke said, attempting to get Lorelai to walk. Her feet kept stumbling, and she would swerve towards sideways every time she lost her footing. Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Luke stopped. "Going up," he said as he swept his left arm underneath her legs, his right arm still around her shoulders. She barely even blinked; instead she cuddled up against him as he carried her like a little child.

The very second Luke swept her up, her heart had leapt into her throat. Cuddling up into his chest felt so good, and she could've fallen asleep easily had she not been so alert of the feel of Luke's strong arms around her tight. Every nerve seemed on edge as he carried her through the woods.  
The walk wasn't too far. About ten minutes of carrying Lorelai through the trees brought him to her tent. In the very near distance, he could see his own tent. He ducked low to slip beneath the tent flap and he set Lorelai down on her sleeping bag with very little difficulty.

When her head hit the pillow, she adjusted slightly and opened her eyes to look at him. His face betrayed the affection he felt for her, the lines and the stubble not hiding the concern in his eyes and the love in his heart.

"Thank you, Luke," she said, her voice shaking because of what she hoped he interpreted as exhaustion. But in reality, her voice was shaking because of the nearness of him. He reached up and brushed a dark curl out of her face, his hand lingers a few seconds longer.  
"I'm gonna go," he said, pulling the covers up to her chin. "My tent is about forty that way," he poked his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing in the direction of his tent, "so come and get me if you need me."

"Okay," she smiled.

Luke bent down and placed a small kiss on her forehead. He didn't know what possessed him to do it, but she looked so beautiful and innocent just grinning up at him like that, and it only seemed right to kiss her on the forehead. She hadn't been expecting it, and her eyes had widened just the slightest bit.

"Goodnight, Lorelai."

"Goodnight, Luke."


	9. Sexual Tension for Two

A/N: Okay, I really like this chapter. It just might be my favorite of all the chapters I've written. Either this one or the last one. Maybe if they were one chapter I'd like them together the best as a unit. Not together together, but just together. Like close… haha. Read on and you'll get the joke.

A/N2: Thank you to everyone for not sending me hate mail because I changed that last chapter eight. I'm glad everyone is liking where this is going now.

Chapter Nine

The walk back to his tent was one of the hardest he'd ever had to take. The desire to stay with Lorelai was almost overpowering. He'd lit her lantern before he'd left and the way the candlelight flickered and danced across her face made is heart beat a little faster. But he'd dragged his eyes away from her beautiful face and had left her in her perspective tent, heading towards his own.

When Luke approached his tent, he stopped, listening intently. Somewhere in the darkness, something was stirring. He heard a whimpering sound and tried to locate the direction from which it was coming. He ducked quickly into his tent to retrieve his flashlight, but nearly screamed at the sight before him.

"Ah, jeez, Kirk!"  
Kirk was lying spread-eagle in the corner of Luke's tent. A pillow was clutched to his chest, barely covering his… self. The sight scared Luke so much that he stumbled backwards in horror, hands over his eyes. Ducking quickly out of his tent, he walked in circles, trying to figure out how best to solve the situation.

_I can't go back in there, that's for sure, _he thought. Instantly, his mind swung towards the possibility of Lorelai. _No, you can't go to her. Not now._ Mentally, he argued with himself for ten minutes before he finally made his decision and turned in the direction of her tent.

Striding quickly, he tried to think about something other than the possibility of spending the night with Lorelai Gilmore. It didn't work.

_He kissed me,_ she thought, sitting up. _On the forehead, sure, but it was still a kiss nonetheless. _Hugging her legs to her chest, she began to wonder what being with Luke would be like. He wasn't a very publicly affectionate person, but Lorelai knew that Mushy Luke was hiding in there somewhere, just waiting to be coaxed out.

_Yes, coaxed out to play. _She smirked. _DIRTY!_  
Suddenly, from somewhere in the distance, Lorelai heard a shout, followed by Luke's patented "Ah, jeez." She quickly got onto her knees, pulling Luke's flannel close around her body and stuck her head out into the night. She saw Luke pacing back and forth in front of his tent. He circled one way, then rounded and circled the other way. It looked as though he was talking to himself.  
_No way! I'm witnessing an INTERNAL LUKE RANT!_ But Lorelai's observations were cut short when Luke suddenly stopped pacing and turned to face her. He began walking her direction. Hoping Luke hadn't already seen her, she flipped around crawled back into her tent, quickly throwing herself to the ground.

It wasn't long until she heard him outside her tent.

"Umm, Lorelai?" he whispered, apprehension in his voice. "Are you still awake?"

Lorelai feigned a yawn and a cough before replying, "Now I am… come on in."

Luke paused. _She wasn't mad, was she? God, I hope not. _He pushed aside the flimsy flap of Lorelai's tent and crouched as he ducked in. Lorelai was sitting cross-legged on top of her fairly large sleeping bag, still wrapped in Luke's warm flannel jacket.

"Hey," she said, eyes weighed down with sleep.

"Hey, uh, do you think I could crash here tonight? Kirk is kinda borrowing my tent… naked." He looked down, suddenly interested in his shoes.

When Lorelai snorted in laughter, Luke smiled and looked up. In unison they both raised one hand and said in surprisingly good Kirk-voices, "I have night terrors." The sound of Luke's laugh made even more goosebumps appear on Lorelai's skin. She was suddenly thankful for the heavy, concealing flannel.  
"Yeah, um, you can sleep here, I guess." Her heart began thumping so loudly that she was afraid Luke could hear it too. She stretched out her sleeping bag, but stopped and looked up at Luke.  
He understood her problem immediately. There was only one sleeping bag. A large sleeping bag, yes, but there was still only one. The only way for both adults to sleep warm and comfortably would be to…

_No. I can't suggest that. _Luke mentally slapped himself. _But then again, we are two adults. It's not like we're immature kids or anything. I mean, it would be totally innocent. I just need somewhere to sleep._

It felt as though she had read his mind when she said, "Well, I mean, it's not like anything's going to happen. We're just going to sleep. Together. I mean, alone, well, together, but not _together_ together. Just together, in the same bag. Not _together._"

"Right," Luke said as he climbed in opposite of Lorelai.

Slipping in, Lorelai made sure that she was far enough away from Luke so that she wasn't laying _right_ next to him, but close enough that it didn't look like she was revolted by the thought of sleeping with him.

Lorelai feigned yet another yawn and Luke leaned over to blow out the candle-lantern. For several moments, they lay in the dark, nearly suffocated by amount of sexual tension in the small space. Luke listened closely, trying to figure out if Lorelai had fallen asleep, not knowing that Lorelai was doing the same. Suddenly, Lorelai started shaking with laughter. She tried to stay quiet as long as she could, but was only able to hold it in for a few moments.  
"What are you laughing at?" Luke questioned, slightly confused.

Lorelai flipped over onto her stomach as she continued to laugh. Giggles evolved into hysterical laughing and soon Lorelai was pressing her head into her pillow to keep from waking all of the citizens of Stars Hollow.

"Are you okay?" Luke said through chuckles of his own. Lorelai's laughter was contagious; this he'd known for years.

"I… I… I dunno… I…haha!" Lorelai gasped for breath. She swung her head up to look at Luke. Although there was no candlelight, she could still see his face. The definition of his jaw and the sharp angle of his nose were apparent in the darkness. Even then texture of his lips could be seen. She realized that she'd never been this close to him before. She couldn't remember being able to smell the essence that was Luke so strongly. As she studied him, her laughter subsided slightly until she was left grinning madly.

His own grin matched hers molar by molar and Luke noticed that Lorelai's eyes were locked on his face. Her beauty was stunning. She'd pulled the ponytail out of her hair after he'd left her before, so now her curly hair fell freely around her face, the dark strands swinging as she moved. Her skin looked so smooth, and Luke could smell her shampoo and perfume. He realized that their faces were less than a foot and a half apart.  
"Do you, uh, need some more blanket?" he questioned, moving closer to her so that he could shift some of the bag in her direction. He never took his eyes off of hers.

"Thanks," she said, accepting the blanket and moving closer just the slightest bit as she readjusted. She sighed, "Goodnight, Luke."

"Goodnight, Lorelai."

The darkness closed in around them, and Luke lay on his back, staring out Lorelai's small "window." He glanced over and saw that she was on her side, facing away from him. He found himself wondering what she was thinking, and whether she was asleep. He decided that maybe sleep might be something to achieve, so he followed suit and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. After a few moments, he heard Lorelai shift a foot away. Her arm flung out and rested against his, hand lying over his forearm. A few more seconds of stirring resulted in Lorelai's fingers entwined in his own, hands linked together. He opened his eyes and glanced over in her direction again, seeing that she was on her back and that her head was facing away from him. He scooted over slightly, closing the distance between his side and that of Lorelai's. Still, her head remained facing the other way.  
As soon as Luke closed his eyes again, he heard Lorelai shift… again. This time, one leg swung over his, and he felt Lorelai press up against him. One of her arms was draped across his stomach and was clutching his side. He opened his eyes, and looked down at Lorelai, whose head was resting on his shoulder.

Lorelai felt his gaze on her, and looked up. Her eyes met Luke's and she held it, refusing to break the eye contact. She felt as though an entire conversation was being held through the eye contact alone.  
Without warning, Luke's hand—the one not clutching hers—slid up to the side of her face. He bent his head lower while simultaneously encouraging hers upward. Lorelai's grip on his hand tightened as their faces approached a dangerous nearness. The last few moments of separation felt as though they lasted forever.

Finally, Luke's lips hesitantly met hers, as though he wasn't sure if she wanted what he did. Her soft lips felt warm on his, and he hoped with every fiber of his being that he wouldn't wake up to the sound of a wailing alarm clock. Luke continued brushing his lips over hers; still not sure of what was going on in her head. Lorelai quickly reassured him that it was exactly what she wanted when she lightly sucked on his lower lip, drawing it in and gliding her tongue across it. She maneuvered herself sot that she was nearly laying on top of Luke. Tongues delved and playfully fought for "air-time" as hands slid across backs and stomachs. Lorelai turned her head and pulled her lips away from Luke's. Opening her eyes, she searched his face for any signs of surrealism. She, too, had been waiting for that same blaring sound of an alarm clock to wake her from this dream. When Luke's eyes finally opened and connected with hers, her breath caught in her throat and she suddenly felt as though he was staring directly into her soul.

His expression softened and he smacked his lips.

"Hmm… what is that, scotch?" He looked down at her once again, smiling widely.

She punched his shoulder lightly, but gripped his hand tighter.

"Are you mocking me, Luke Danes?" she asked, voice low and a seductive glint in her eyes.

"I just might be," he challenged.

"Good," she said. "Don't ever stop."

He sighed and somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that the knot in his chest had been replaced with what felt like helium. The light he felt inside his heart contrasted to the dark that was falling around them. Lorelai adjusted so that she was once again pressed up against his side. She resumed her hugging and rested her head on his chest.

"Goodnight, Luke."

"Again…" he said with a chuckle.

"Yes," she responded, nodding her head. "Again."

---

What'dya think? Reviews are welcome and so are story plots.  
What do you want to see happen? Got any ideas? Send them to me via email at  
Thanks again, everyone. I'm so glad you all like it.


	10. Come Back Tonight

Chapter Ten

Lorelai woke the next morning, still wrapped in Luke's arms. The ever brightening sunshine scattered a myriad of blues, yellows, pinks, and purples across the morning sky.

The warmth of Luke's body was tempting, and if Lorelai hadn't needed to think, she would have stayed right where she was, holding him tightly. But there were some things she needed to sort out in her head. Slowly, she slipped out of Luke's embrace and crept out of the tent. The fresh forest air felt cold and she pulled the heavy flannel closer to her body.

Lorelai yawned as she walked in the direction of the pond. Since she wasn't able to multitask—think and walk—this early in the morning, she just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

As opposed to the previous night, Lorelai's steps were nearly silent, the dewy grass cushioning her feet as she strolled through the forest. She perched on the edge of the bridge that stretched across the pond, and dangled her feet off the side.

The calm of the water relaxed her as she gazed into her reflection. Fish swam lazily below the surface of the water, and from her view, it appeared as though the fish were gliding right through her apparently ethereal body. It was as if she was nothing more than a ghost, and the thought reminded her how insignificant she was in the universe.  
Lorelai Gilmore wasn't a philosophical person. She didn't contemplate the meaning of life over a healthy breakfast, while reading Jane Austen novels. In the morning, her mind was usually dwelling on her to-do list while she hunched over a bowl of Fruity Pebbles in her pajama pants. She didn't concern herself with the "bigger plan", instead taking her life into her own hands. But there were times when she wasn't sure what to do, or where to go. There were times when she felt as though she couldn't find her footing in this strange realm of reality.

This was one of those times.

As much as she wanted to believe this thing with Luke was real, she couldn't help but worry about the future. Their friendship, one nursed to life over years of caffeine-induced bantering, was one of the pillars in her life. If things came to end with Luke, she would surely fall apart.

She sighed, standing up, and walked back to the tent.

Luke awoke to an empty tent. The warm body that had been pressed against his all night was gone, and he suddenly felt the need to indulge in that warmth once again. He sat up, and noticed a small post-it note stuck to the wall of the tent.

_Had to go. Michele needed help at the Inn._

_I'll be by at noon._

_We need to talk._

_Love_

_Lorelai_

Luke simply stared at the note. The crossed out "love" didn't go unnoticed. _We need to talk._ The words rung in his head as he got out of the tent, packed up his and Lorelai's stuff, and walked back to the diner.

Sometime around noon, the bells above the door jingled merrily, causing Luke to turn around quickly. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Lorelai. She was dressed in a simple white shirt and khaki pants, a colorful sash tied around her waist. The sunlight around her seemed almost angelic and her dark curly hair fell free around her face once again, just as he liked it. His eyes met Lorelai's immediately, and a million silent words were spoken in the quick glance.  
When their eyes met, Lorelai found it very difficult to continue moving forward. All she could do was stand there and let those deep eyes penetrate into her very being. Luke's eyes conveyed emotion and apologies and anticipation and something that could have been classified as affection to the third party viewer.  
And that was when she knew.   
Although the customers in the diner continued to chatter merrily, to Luke and Lorelai, everything had suddenly gotten very quiet. With his head, he motioned for Lorelai to follow him behind the habitual plaid curtain. One look at Caesar confirmed that he would need a few minutes alone and then he was gone, heading up the stairs to his apartment. When Lorelai remembered how to breathe, she took one gulp of air before heading behind the curtain and following Luke up the stairs to the old office above the diner.  
She walked through the open door, closing it behind her.  
Luke was sitting at a table in what could have been called the kitchen. The office smelled of wood, and though there were some feminine touches here and there – unmistakably from Rachel and Liz – the place was decidedly a bachelor pad, containing all the bare necessities. There was a shower and toilet in the bathroom, a fridge and stove in the kitchen, the odd bookcase here and there, a couch and of course, the bed.  
_Clad in plaid… not surprising._ She thought. _Well, at least he's consistent._

The chair opposite of Luke was pulled out slightly and one look at him told Lorelai that sitting down would be a good thing to do at this point.  
She lowered herself into the chair and had to force herself to look at Luke. He was staring at her again, those eyes boring directly into her soul.

She nervously tucked a random piece of hair behind her ear and laid her hands, palms down, flat on the table.  
Luke took a shuddering breath and began to speak.  
"Look, there are some things that need to be addressed…" he said.  
"You're telling me," Lorelai said with a snort.  
Luke knew something along those lines was coming. After five years, he'd been able to pinpoint Lorelai's tactic. Her humor shielded her. The distracting rambling and the open ended references she made proved to deflect and scrutiny on the part of whomever was trying to get a glimpse the underlying emotion she was feeling at that particular moment.  
"Lorelai, I know you are expecting me to say sorry for what happened this morning," Luke continued with conviction. "But I'm not going to. Whatever happened last night – or this morning," he added, "is nothing that I'm ashamed of."  
Lorelai's head snapped up at his words. The smirk that had previously occupied her face before was now gone, replaced by a baffled stare that conveyed exactly how surprised Lorelai truly was.  
"I'm just going to come out and say this," Luke continued staring into her face. "I want to be with you, Lorelai… have for years now." He looked down at his hands, not sure if he could handle the rejection.  
Lorelai simply stared at him. Thoughts slowly processing, she realized that everything she had unconsciously been wishing for had finally come to pass. Luke wanted to be with her. Luke Danes, diner man, wanted to be with her, Lorelai Gilmore, inn manager.  
For some reason words were beyond her and she felt the sudden urge to get up, do something with her feet, her hands… something, anything.  
She rose from the table, shaky hands still on the table.  
Luke stood up as well. He'd seen the wheels turning in her head, and knew that she'd need a minute to process. He allowed her that minute, but when she rose from the table, he got slightly confused. He took a tentative step in her direction, searching her face for something, anything that would tell him as to what was going to happen next.  
Suddenly, a grin erupted on Lorelai's face. Her eyes sparkled with content and happiness and the sigh that she let out released all the tension between them. She felt her feet move beneath her and she lunged toward him. Her arms flew around his neck, and her mouth meeting his in a surge of happiness.

For possibly the third time that week, Luke couldn't believe that he had Lorelai in his arms again. He locked his arms around her waist, pulling her up against him, meeting every kiss with reckless abandon. He held her to him fiercely, not wanting to let go.

"Luke," she panted when he had begun kissing her neck.

He pulled away, searching her eyes, afraid he'd hurt her.

She recognized the concern on his face. "No, it's fine. I, uh, I just… wanted… wanted to tell you…" she struggled to get the words out. "I love you, Luke." She expelled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I love you so much."  
Luke's heart threatened to stop beating. He looked deep into her eyes.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that," he said quietly. "I love you, Lorelai, more than you will ever know."

For a few moments, they simply held each other, looking deep into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Luke heard Caesar calling him from downstairs. Placing a tender kiss on Lorelai's lips, he said, "Come back tonight."

She nodded, and kissed him back. One last hug was exchanged before Lorelai grabbed her purse, looped it over her arm and headed out the back door of the diner.

--

A/N: Sorry, short again, and no smut. But I've already started writing the next chapter, and I can guarantee some smut. Hang in there, everybody.

A/N2: My internet is being a bitch, and I may or may not be able to get on within the next two days. Just FYI.


	11. I'm Only Happy When It Rains

A/N: The last and final installment of Crisis and Camping and Coffee, Oh My! This one's definetly got smut, so if you are not comfortable with that, I'd stop right after Lorelai wakes up from her dream.

A/N2: The dream has no point at all whatsoever, it just took up space.

Hope everything's all up to par for you all! WINK WINK! ;) R&R, folks!

Chapter 11

"Oh Sweet Child Of Miiine!" Lorelai crooned as she slammed the door behind her. "Oh sweet child, where arts thou!" She set her purse down on the kitchen table, and heard noise in Rory's room.

Opening the door slightly, she peaked in.

The sight she saw was so endearing that it was hard for her to believe her little baby girl had grown up so fast. Rory's body was flopped haphazardly, stomach down, on top of her bed, her legs tangled in a soft blanket. Lorelai had allowed Rory to take a few days off of school—starting Monday—so that she could "recover" from the accident. However, she very well knew that Rory would be spending her days reading and catching up on school work. Lorelai had requested that Rory at least watch cartoons while she studied Faulkner, and Rory had gladly obliged, vowing to lose concentration every so often due to "that darn Roadrunner."

Completely oblivious to Lorelai's admirations, Rory shifted, her leg sticking out of the blanket, and her arm hanging off the side of her small twin-sized bed. Lorelai thought she looked so young, so innocent, and when a light grin appeared on her daughter's face, Lorelai discovered that she just didn't have it in her to break the child from her reverie.

She closed the door softly and looked around her house. A glance at the wall clock confirmed to her nerves that she had a few hours yet.

All day, Luke's thoughts were haunted with images of Lorelai launching herself at him from across the room. Her ear-to-ear smile made his knees weak, a feat that happened repeatedly on several occasions all day.

Every cup of coffee he poured reminded him of Lorelai; every danish served made his heart skip a beat. And patiently, he waited.

_The llama ran across her front yard and she picked up the phone..  
"Kirk, get your damn llama out of here. NOW!" she screamed into the cordless._

_She walked back into her house and up to her room, walking in; she began to strip, just as she had days before. What she failed to notice this time, however, was that he was standing in the corner. He approached her, and she found that she couldn't move. She was overcome, and she fell onto the bed._

Lorelai awoke with a gasp of shock. One hand was palm down on her stomach, her chest was heaving as it hungrily devoured oxygen. One quick glace around the room told her she was in the living room, and it was dark. Suddenly she remembered her… appointment…

_DIRTY!_

She glanced quickly at her watch. 9:30pm.; she had to leave. Immediately, she leapt up from the couch, the blanket that had covered her body fell to the floor, forgotten.

"Rory, I'm going out!" She shouted in the general direction of her daughter's room as she grabbed her jacket and nearly ran out the door. Halfway to Luke's, she realized that she hadn't brought her purse.  
_No, no, no. _She thought._ Accessories will just slow you down. Just keep on moving forward. Oh god, you're shaking. Stop that! _ She continued to head in the direction of Luke's, barely noticing it when it began to rain. Drops of water hit her head with a splat, running down her face and neck, down into her shirt, and soon she was soaked to the bone.

She didn't stop running even when she felt one of her heels break beneath her. She simply kicked it off and continued on.

Luke glanced at the clock for possibly the fourth time in the past twenty minutes. The very last customer had left fifteen minutes ago, and Luke had been dutifully awaiting Lorelai's arrival. Minutes had passed, and Luke had begun to give up hope.

When it started to rain, he turned over the sign of the diner, and shut all the lights off, sighing in defeat.

Just before heading upstairs, he stole one last glance out the window. What he saw made him stop moving completely. There was a dark figure in the distance, running, stumbling, soaking wet. Instantly, he knew.

She had come.

He tore across the floor of the diner, and out the door, not even hearing the irritated jingle of the bells. He bounded towards her, and before long, his shoes were filled with water, and he could feel the moisture soaking through his clothes. The rain was pounding now, but Luke refused to let Mother Nature separate him and Lorelai.   
Luke knew well enough that Lorelai Gilmore didn't run. Ever. Unless it had something to do with the words "fire" and "Rory" and "coffee" in the same sentence. Since he knew that there were no fires anywhere in the vicinity, the only explanation for her barefoot—_wait, barefoot!_—running had something to do with the words "I", "love", "you" and "Luke" in the same sentence.

When Lorelai saw Luke tear out of the diner, she cried out in happiness. Upon leaving her house, she'd been overcome with the fear that he'd already closed up and had gone upstairs.  
Not stopping for pleasantries, she leapt into his arms. She flung two arms around his neck and immediately pressed her lips to his in a demanding kiss. Luke's arms had flown around her waist, and he was crushing her to him with amazing force.

"Luke," she breathed, rain streaming down her face, "I'm late."

"No," he gasped, between breaths, "you're right on time."

She laughed and leapt up, wrapping her legs around Luke's middle. She crushed her lips to his once again, and the searing kisses made Luke forget it was raining.

After sharing a few more desperate liplocks, Luke set Lorelai down. He put a hand on each of her cheeks, wiping the streaking mascara from her face.

"Let's go inside," he said softly, "you're soaking wet."

She laughed and electricity charged the knot that already resided in his gut.

"No shit, Sherlock." She linked arms with him, and slowly, they walked back to the diner. The rain poured around them, disabling their ability to see more than a few feet away, but neither one seemed to mind.

Luke opened the door of the diner and ushered Lorelai inside. Both were sopping wet, and Luke made a mental note to mop the floor as soon as he got a chance. As Luke locked up the front door, Lorelai continued on, up the stairs, into the apartment.

"Hey, Luke," she called down the stairs.

"Yeah?" he gruffly shouted back.

"Do you, uh, think it would be okay if I, uh, take a shower?"

Luke stopped, halfway up the staircase. Lorelai… in his shower. Naked. Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard a small voice whisper "_dirty!_", but before that little voice could reach some of his lower body parts, ahem ahem, he pushed the thought away.

"Uh, yeah. I'll just get you a towel," he said as he entered his apartment. Lorelai was completely naked, well, nearly. She was standing there in only a long sweater… _his_ long sweater. She held her wet clothes out at an angle from her body. For a minute, all he could concentrate on was the soft drip-drip of the water falling on the floor.

"Luke?" Lorelai's voice broke through the fog in his head. "Luke, where should I put these?"

"Oh, uh, I'll just toss them in the dryer." He snatched a towel from the closet and traded with Lorelai. She gave him a tired smile and walked into the bathroom. The fact that she didn't close the door all the way did not go unnoticed.

He heard the water turn on, and images of the water flowing over Lorelai's body drove him to distraction. He forced himself to start mopping up the floor. He was able to get the floor mopped and her clothes in the dryer before he heard her calling him from the bathroom.

"Luke…" her voice was slightly fuzzy due to the immense amount of steam emanating from the shower. He approached the bathroom door carefully.

"What can I do for you, Lorelai?" he asked, feigning annoyance. But truthfully, his hands were shaking and he found that he could no longer stop the flood of images from entering his thoughts.

There was a pause. "Join me," she said simply.

And so he did.

He stripped off all of his clothes, the blood rushing in his ears… and his… well… it was just rushing, okay? The rushing of the blood to the parts of the body with tension of the muscles and all…

He opened the door of the bathroom, seeing little except an unclear image of her body through the wrinkled shower curtain. He opened the curtain slightly, and stepped in, eyes cast downward.

Immediately, he felt hands on his back. They lathered soap into his shoulders, and pulled him under the spray of hot water. Lorelai's hands traveled up and down his back, gliding over the muscles in his shoulder blades, easing the tension in his shoulders.

Not able to take the suspense any more, he turned around to face her.  
Even sopping wet, she was gorgeous. Her hair was slicked back from her face and little rivulets of water streamed down every curve of her body. He reached out and placed a hand on her hip, nudging her forward. She willingly moved to him, and without hesitation, she captured his lips with her own.

Tongues delved passionately, as hands groped over bodies. The water slicked every movement. Luke pushed Lorelai up against the cold tile, eliciting a gasp of surprise. He pushed up against her, and at feeling his erection hard against her hip, she moaned. Dragging her nails over his butt, she pulled him closer to her.  
"Luke, I need you," she moaned into his ear.

Immediately, he nudged her legs apart, driven by primal need to feel that physical connection. When he felt her tongue and teeth against his earlobe, he could control himself no longer.

With one fluid stroke, he was within her. A deep, almost guttural groan rose from somewhere within him. He lifted his head and looked deep into her eyes. They were alight with passion and need and desire. But most of all, there was love, and adoration, and respect, and affection.

She kissed him tenderly on the lips and he began to move.

He thrust in and out of her slowly, softly, gently. She moaned and bit her bottom lip, never breaking eye contact with him. Her hands had grown tense on his back and when they suddenly raked down towards his rear, he knew she needed him to move faster.  
Without a single warning, he began to move faster, pinning her against the wall with his body. She reached up and brought her lips to his, her tongue parting his lips and glided easily into his mouth.  
Even before she started moaning louder, he knew the climax was coming. He could feel it in his own gut, the need to release, to relax. He reached a hand down between their slick bodies, vaguely registering that the water had begun to turn cold. His hand glided over her stomach, down her side.

The knot in Lorelai's stomach felt as though it would burst from being so tight. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she caught Luke's eyes with hers.   
Reaching her most sensitive spot, his fingers began to dance in a circular motion. Around and around they went, adding slight pressure with every revolution. A ragged gasp escaped her and she felt as though he were being catapulted into space.

Her inner muscles began to grip him spasmodically as she reached her peak. The look in her eyes as she hit the top brought him over the edge and before long, he had his head tucked into her shoulder and was pressing up against her with such force that he was afraid he would crush her.

Even after the waves of pleasure ebbed, they stayed leaning against the wall.  
"Wow." Lorelai said after a few moments. Her hands rested on Luke's hips and she moved them up and down his sides. "Amazing."

"Yes," he said looking up, "you are."

The smile she gave him was dazzling, peppered with laughter and shining with love.  
Her hands traveled up his back and she noticed how cold the spray was.

"Come on," she said, motioning for them to get out.

Luke climbed out of the shower first, soon followed by Lorelai, who turned off the water, and grabbed a towel. She dried herself off as much as she could before handing the towel to Luke and walking out of the bathroom. She walked to the edge of the bed, untucked the covers, and slowly slid in. She was soon joined by Luke, who pulled her to him.

"I love you, Lorelai." He said, gazing down into her eyes.

"I love you too, Luke." She said, scooting closer.  
She tucked her head into his shoulder with a contented sigh and drifted off to sleep.

--

THE END!

So, what do you all think? Good way to end it, or bad way to end it?

You got your smut… FINALLY. I hope it was up to par for you all.

R&R.  
I'm going to take a little break, but I will be back soon with some more LL fics.

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed!  
You guys rock.


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